Nupur Dance Academy (NDA) hosts an array of dancers and musical artists, in their annual performance, “Rasrang: The Moods of Kathak.”
Directed by Artistic Director, Prachi Dixit, an Agra native, the upcoming performance is dedicated to Navras, the nine sacred emotions. With a vivid evocation, Navras provokes the individual through the most expressive and fervent human emotions. Kathak echoes the union between sacred devotion and human experience. The body and soul ignite as one unit on stage, creating a poignant expression of choreography, history and a human’s journey through it all.
Kathak stems from the euphonic days of Krishna’s Kaliadaman and was born out of that vibration. Vibration is an essential component to the history and experience of kathak’s truest art form. Dancers at NDA, are trained to dance beside a live orchestra of some of India’s finest musicians. The rhythmic relationship between musician and dancer emulates the unspoken, yet visceral connection we may feel with the divine. Dancing to live music evokes an experience that cannot be felt by recordings alone.
Trained to understand notes, rhythms and movements, the dancers are also educated in establishing a strong understanding of musical developments and improvisations to promote the styling of the musician-dancer relationship.
NDA is affiliated with Pracheen Kala Kendra, one of India’s largest Performing Arts University and offers accredited degrees in dance and music to students who choose this path. Dixit explains, “Dance is about expression, about the individual’s expression of life, in the form of art. I devote myself to nurturing the growth of enthusiastic dancers and establishing a bold ensemble of talented musicians for our generations to come.”n
April 7, 6 p.m. Norris Theater, 27570 Norris Center Drive, Rolling Hills. $20 advance, $25 general. (310) 544-0403 x 221. nupuracademyla.com.